For over 150 years, Milwaukee has been home to a large community of people of Polish descent. The Milwaukee Polonia Project hopes to show the interweaving, intertwining family trees that resulted in this community. It is hoped that, eventually, all the families can be connected to one another. The Milwaukee Polonia Project is also a means to explore our common history and celebrate our shared heritage.

THE ACTUAL DATABASE OF THE TREE IS NOW LOCATED AT THE MILWAUKEE POLONIA PROJECT TREE at Tribal Pages. (We still have much work to do, so don't assume that families are shown completely.) YOU DO NOT NEED A PASSWORD TO ACCESS INFORMATION ON DECEASED INDIVIDUALS.

Thursday, May 26, 2016

Honoring Our Heroes - 2016

Happy Memorial Day - As is our custom, we celebrate Memorial Day by discussing some of the individuals who lost their lives while in the military or in time of war.  This year, we have information on three first cousins who were all killed serving in the military in World War II.

Stephen Sokolowski (@1908 - 1944) - the son of Andrew Sokolowski and Anna (Kwasniewski) Sokolowski, he was career military having entered the Army about 1926.  He had served in such places as Fort Sheridan, Illinois; Fort Custer, Michigan; Fort Douglas, Utah; the Philippine Islands; Fort Sam Huston, Texas; Camp Shelby, Mississippi; Camps Knot and Coxcomb, California; and Fort Dix, New Jersey rising to the rank of First Sergeant.  He was ultimately assigned to the 339th Infantry Regiment of the 85th (Custer) Division where he served first in North Africa and then Italy.  He died on September 22, 1944 when his unit was attacking the German's Gothic Line in Italy.  He left behind a young wife.







  Alex F. Sokolowski  (@1915 - 1945) - the son of  Stanislaus Sokolowski and Anna (Kwasniewski) [Sokolowski] Danielewski, he graduated from Pio Nono High School.  He was employed as a water meter reader for the Town of Lake at the time he went into the service in June, 1943.  He was assigned to the Headquarters & Service Company of the 167th Engineer Combat Battalion eventually rising to the rank of corporal.  The 167th did basic training in Mississippi and then maneuvers in Louisiana.  They went ashore on Utah beach.  The 167th was attached to Patton's Third Army where the unit helped bridge the Moselle River and then went on to help with crossing the Rhine.  Alex Sokolowski was not killed by enemy fire.  Sadly, he was killed by an American bullet when a companion's gun accidently discharged.  He left behind a wife and three young children in Milwaukee.



Stephen B. Sokolowski (@1909 - 1945) - the son of Joseph Sokolowski and Marianna (Tomaszewski) Sokolowski.  He trained at Camp Carson in Colorado.  He was a sergeant in the 473rd Infantry Regiment when he was killed in action on April 14, 1945.  He is buried in the American Cemetery in Florence, Italy.  From his unit and date of death, it can be inferred that he was killed in the assault on the Gothic Line in Italy.

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Special Family Notification - Norbert Theofil Szukalsky (Szukalski).

From time to time, individuals ask us to post messages to unknown family members on our blog.  Usually, we do that as part of our bi-monthly Status Update.  However, we recently received such a request that is time sensitive, so we have to publish it ahead of our next Update:

Kathryn Auxier is the daughter of Norbert Theofil Szukalsky (Szukalski).  She is traveling to Milwaukee in mid-June and would be interested in finding living members of her family.
Anyone with information on that family is urged  to contact her at kathyauxier@q.com.